Automatic air-brake-cotjpling device



E. S. & C. P. HANSEN.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25.19l5. I 1,1 95,467 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25.191'5- Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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EMIL SEEN HANSEN AND CHRISTIAN I. HANSEN, OF ANDERSON, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR-'BRAKE-COUILING DEVICE.

Application filed June 25, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

and CHRISTIAN P. HANSEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Anderson, in the county of Shasta, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air-Brake-Coupling Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a device for automatically coupling the ends of the car pipes in an air brake, system.

An object of the invention is to so construct the device that as the cars come together the air brake' system from one car to the other will be completed.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the device that as the cars come together there will be no likelihood of the parts being broken.

A still further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for closing the air valves upon separation of the cars.

With these and other objects in view, such as will appear as the description progresses, our invention comprises the combination and arrangement of parts as here in set forth and subsequently claimed.

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of our device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section, showing the device in its inoperative position when the cars are separated. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device. Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section on line 1 S8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a fragmental sectional Specification of Letters Patent.

is a section on line 7-7 ofv Patented Aug. 22, 1916. Serial No. 36,281. i

1 and the latter pivot-ally secured and held in place by a coil spring 5.

Extending transversely of the cars are beams 6 through which slides 7 are operable. These slides are in alinement with each other as may be seen in the bottom plan view and are normally pushed toward each other when the ends of the cars are adjacent each other by coil springs 8, the said springs being secured to the beams 6 and to the slides 7. These slides 7 are provided with enlargements 7 and 8. The enlargements 7 and S are seated in the openings 9 and 10 in the beams 6 when the cars are uncoupled so as to hold the parts in their proper positions but the reduced portions of the slides are located in the openings when the cars are coupled together so the cars may have free relative motion when 4 slide 7 and the socket l0 offset from the op posite side of its slide so that they are diagonally disposed with relation to the slides.

Secured to the socket 9 is an extension 11 and to the socket 10 an extension 12, the said extensions being parallel with each other but inclined oppositely with relation to the slides. Secured to the end of each of these extensions 11 and 12 is an arm 13, which extendsinto the socket on the opposite car. Horizontally disposed slots 14 are provided in the extensions 11 and 12 and have blocks 15 slidably mounted therein, the said blocks being normally pressed toward the free ends of the extensions by springs 16 which are secured to rods 17, the latter extending through holes 18 in the extensions 11 and 12 and being connected to the said blocks 15. Extending through each of these blocks 15 is a pipe 18 to each of which the air hose 19 is secured. These pipes 18 extend completely through the blocks 15 and have cushion members 20 on their ends, which members are adapted to contact with each other to complete the passagebetween the two hoses 19. In each of the pipes 18 is a valve 21 which is operable to close the pipe when the cars are separated.

Pivotally secured to the upper faces of 19 the blocks 15 are levers 22 which are connected to the said valves 21 by links 23. These levers are normally actuated to close the said valves by coil springs 24. The i11- ner ends of these levers are provided with cam surfaces 25 so that as the cars are pushed together the arms 13 operating in the sockets will guide the said levers in such manner that the cam surfaces thereon will contact and as the cars are further pushed together the said levers move upon each other and are operated upon their pivots to open the valves 21 against the tension of the springs 2i, the springs 16 at this time operating to take up any jar that might be on the blocks 15 because of the bumping action of the cars. As the cars are further moved together the levers 22 abut against stops 26 on the said blocks so that on any further movement of the cars the blocks 15 will move together. Simultaneously with the engagement of the levers with the said stops projections 27 on the lower ends of the blocks engage and thereafter act as guides. In this position the open ends of the pipes 18 are in alinement and upon any further movement of the cars the blocks 15 will move in the slots 1% of the extensions 11 and 12 and cause the free ends of the pipes 18 to move together until the cushion members on the ends thereof engage. This approaching action of the ends of the pipes 15 is caused because of the fact that the lines of motion of the extensions 11 and 12 are parallel and the said members are inclined with relation to these parallel lines of motion. Thus as the members 11 and 12 approach each other, the distance between the parallel edges thereof will be greatly lessened and consequently the ends of the said pipes 18 pushed together. It will thus be seen that as the cars are pushed together the valves 21 will be automatically opened and at the same time the ends of the pipes 18 will be pushed into contact with each other so that the air brake system between the two cars is completed and the system is maintained in this condition by the engagement of the coupling members 3 and 4:.

It will thus be readily seen that we have provided a device for coupling the ends of the pipes of an air brake system together and simultaneously opening the valves in the said pipes, and we have so constructed the device that the ends of the pipes will be moved in alinement with each other and Copies of this patent may be obtained for then pushed inwardly against each other in such manner that the direct push of the approaching cars will not be transmitted to the said pipes but a resultant force which is resiliently controlled will cause the contacting of the ends of the pipes, and we have further constructed the device so that upon the disengagement of the ends of the cars the pipes will be disengaged and the valves therein automatically closed.

lVhile we have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of our invention, we have merely done so for the sake of convenience and we do not wish to be limited to the particular embodiment as it is obvious that numerous changes may be made within the details of construction thereof without in any Way departing from the scope of the appended claims.

(hat is claimed is 1. An automatic air brake couplmg device comprising a plurality of slides arranged to be mounted on the adjacent-ends of cars, a socket on the end of each of said slides, said sockets being arranged in offset relation, an extension on each of said sockets, said extensions being parallel with each other and inclined oppositely with relation to the slides, blocks slidably and resiliently mounted on said extensions, air pipes arranged to have the air hoses attached thereto, valves in said pipes, levers secured to the blocks to control the valves, and arms on the extensions arranged to slide within the sockets of the opposing heads to position the said levers with relation to each other.

2. An automatic air brake coupling device for cars comprising slides arranged to be resiliently attached to said cars, extensions connected to said slides, pipes resiliently and slidably mounted on said extensions in offset relation and constructed and arranged to be attached to the air hoses of the cars, cushion members on the ends of said pipes, valves in said pipes, and means for moving said pipes into alinement with each other, and thereafter moving the cushions into contact with each other and to automatically open said valves.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses. EMIL SERNHANSEN. CHRISTIAN P. HANSEN. \Vitnesses:

O. V. DAVIS, BYRON OGBURN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

